


Shifts

by Lilytat



Series: Changes [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Professors, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy Speaks French, Hogwarts Professors, M/M, Potions Master Draco Malfoy, Professors, Quidditch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-01-15 08:37:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12317514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilytat/pseuds/Lilytat
Summary: Harry had been teaching at Hogwarts for seven years now and things had been proceeding at a fairly steady pace. His students adored him, he got along with his fellow professors, and he and Neville were great friends. But it was a bit… dull. The same curriculum every year. The same students, over and over. He needed something new, something to refresh the daily cycle.Draco had just finished his work in France as Hogwarts’ French ambassador at Beauxbatons. He was  headed back to… face old demons, so-to-speak. And new ones, he supposed. As well as being potions teacher, his job would be the language teacher, a new position.When Draco returned to Hogwarts, it was as if everything had shifted.





	1. Here's To New Beginnings

Harry would never tire of the smell of fresh dirt on the Quidditch pitch. The sun was shining, the day was new, and the new Gryffindor beaters were in need of training. McGonagall might have been pushing house unity, but even she couldn’t resist the competitive nature of Quidditch. 

Harry clapped his hands together and grinned. “You ready, everyone?” He asked brightly. 

“Why are you so peppy today, Professor Potter?” Molly Peters, the team captain asked. She was a bright girl, in her seventh year, and she was an excellent chaser. She really cared about her team, to the point where she came into Harry’s office crying many nights because she was worried about their well-being that she forgot to worry about her own. 

“It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and we’ve got two spanking new beaters to train!” Harry said. 

“Don’t worry, Professor, my little sister is going to be excellent!” Said Lacie Mullings the chaser, giving her sister Margaret a side-hug. 

Margaret looked less confident, but smiled nonetheless. “I’ve been working really hard, sir. Lacie’s shown me all of the techniques and everything,” she said in a voice that was softer than her sisters. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing them!” Harry said. “Alright, everyone, in the air you go!” 

\--

Harry stopped by the teachers’ lounge before he continued to his quarters. He was covered in mud from the tip of his toe to the top of his legs from running around on the ground and shouting orders. His broom was being polished. Quidditch was a bit different from the ground. 

“Hello, Harry,” Neville said as Harry enter. 

“Grading some more?” Harry asked, grabbing his bag off of the table in the center of the room. 

Neville made a face. “Never finished,” he said, holding up a mediocre drawing of a cactus with a checkmark next to it. “How was the first practice?” 

“Alright. Margaret Mullins and Matthew O’Connor are the new beaters. Molly seems pretty enthusiastic about them, and Lacie’s very happy to have her sister on the team,” Harry said, thumbing through some papers that he had left on his bag. 

Neville made a face. “Well you can tell Mr. O’Connor that if he doesn’t hand in his diagrams to me before the first game of the season, I’d be more than happy to find you a  _ new  _ new beater,” he said. 

Harry laughed. “Right. I’ll relay the message. I’m going to get changed and then I’ll be back here. I’ve got some essays to look over,” he said. Neville nodded and turned back to his cactus drawings. 

Harry grinned to himself and wandered into the hallway. Despite it all, it still felt like home. The house system had changed, students were still sorted into the four houses but they all slept in the same rooms, ate at the same tables, and attended the same classes. A student might be a Hufflepuff and sleep in the Gryffindor tower. However, most student prefered their respective common rooms. Harry quite enjoyed it. The students seemed to get along very well, and they were academically much more advanced when they weren’t told what kind of student they had to be. He was proud of McGonagall everyday for taking these incredible steps. It was almost a different school from the one Harry had attended seven years ago. 

Fifth through seventh years were given more responsibility. McGonagall was working on establishing a study abroad program for them, and had already initiated several summer internship and training programs. She thought it was important to get her students prepared for the real world. 

McGonagall was something of a reformationist. Hogwarts had been the exact same for centuries before she had taken over. But she had a vision, and she wasn’t about to let anything get in her way. She wanted happier, inspired students. She wanted young, inspired professors. She wanted her seventh years to know what their passions were and to feel comfortable, but at the same time, uncomfortable in their journey to the real world. She wanted a school filled with wonder, and just magic wasn’t enough. She took inspiration from muggle schools. She introduced heat to the castle, and the winters weren’t as bitter anymore. She was modernizing a school that had been there for centuries- eras, even. It was beautiful. 

However, not everyone welcomed the change. Many professors stormed out, raging about the ‘old ways’, and McGonagall had enlisted Harry’s help in removing several mouthier portraits. But this welcomed room for younger and more welcoming professors, and more polite artwork. 

Harry loved his home. He wouldn’t have it any other way. 

…

“Have you got Marie Shewman in your class?” Harry asked, looking over the top of the essay to glance at Neville. They were reclining in the teacher’s lounge, grading in silence together as they did most nights. It was lovely. Harry had warm tea in his hand, and an essay in his right. 

His students loved his grading system. He didn’t care much about spelling or grammar, he just wanted them to tell him what they knew. None of the extra stuff. Thus, their essays ended up being much longer than they needed to be, but full of  information and passion. 

“I do! She’s a lovely girl,” Neville said, grinning. “She loves to help out after class. Why do you ask?” 

Harry frowned and brushed off the parchment. “That would explain the dirt on her essay,” he muttered. He sighed and continued grading. 

The teacher’s lounge was wonderful, and perhaps Harry’s favorite thing about being a teacher. It was warm when he was chilly, and cool when he was warm, and it was always filled with his colleagues and excellent food. He and Neville spent many long nights there, reminiscing to the old days when they would be screamed at for lounging there. 

Tonight, Harry wanted to be finished grading as quickly as possible so he could get to bed. It had been a long day of answering questions from first years who didn’t know who he was, or who he had been. Of course they had heard stories, but it was different than hearing it from the real thing. 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door to the teacher’s lounge. 

“Hello?” Asked a familiar voice. 

Harry and Neville glanced at each other before dropping their papers and hurrying over. 

“Malfoy!” Harry exclaimed. 

The blonde looked much different than he had seven years ago. He was wearing a long dark coat over his robes, and his hair had been pulled into a tail at the base of his neck, tied with a bow. His shoes were black, heeled, and gleaming. His lips were pink and his cheeks (slightly less) pale, with thin-rimmed glasses balancing on his nose. He carried a black briefcase that matched his outfit by his side, and it had an eiffel-tower sticker stuck to the side of it. 

The man smiled and sighed. “It’s  _ professor  _ Malfoy now, Potter. Hello. Hello, Professor Longbottom. How do you do?” He asked. 

“I thought Minerva said you were staying in France for a few more years,” Harry said, nervously leaning on the doorframe.

“It’s been a few more years, Potter,” Draco said warmly. “Might I come in? I  _ am  _ a teacher now.” 

“Of course!” Neville said, moving aside so Draco could slip in. “Does Minerva know you’ve arrived? She’ll be glad to know old Slughorn can finally get out of here! These past couple weeks have been agony for him, he was supposed to retire some twenty years ago, you know.” 

Draco placed his briefcase down on the ground beside an armchair. “Yes, I’m afraid my departure from France was a bit delayed. I rather fell in love with the place, it was hard to make myself come back, but it’s good to be home,” he said with a glance around. “Though I’ve never been in here before. It’s slightly disappointing, is it not?” He asked. Neville and Harry laughed. “Minerva saw me on my way up. She said you knew the way to my quarters?” 

“There’s an empty room next to mine. Let me grab my papers and I’ll show you up!” Harry said. “You coming, Neville?” 

Neville sighed. “I’ve got thirty more papers to get through, but we’ll do drinks in Hogsmeade tomorrow night! My treat!” 

“Thank you very much, you have no idea how nice it is to have some familiar faces!” Draco said and waved goodbye. He followed Harry out the door and down the corridor. “How have you been, Harry? I assume we’re on first name basis now that we’ll be co-workers.” 

“You’re assuming a lot, Malfoy,” Harry said shortly. 

“Harry, it’s been seven years since we’ve last seen each other. It’s as if we’ve started over as first years and graduated again. That’s how much time has passed. I believe it’s time we put our past behind us. I’m sorry for anything I might’ve done to upset you. I wish that we can be friends again,” Draco said shortly. 

Harry sighed. He paused for a moment and thought. “Me too. I’m pretty sure it was all my fault, so _ I’m  _ sorry.”

There was a silence for a moment. 

“You haven’t answered my question. What have you been up to for the past seven years?” Draco asked again. 

Harry sighed and rolled up his sweater sleeves. “Teaching. I’m the defense against the dark arts teacher and the flying instructor, sometimes I help out with quidditch. It’s been nice. The kids really look up to me, and they see me as a professor, not as a savoir. It was tough at first, but they’re starting to get young enough that they don’t fully know. The first year was rough, they were kids I had fought alongside and all of the sudden I was in charge of them. It’s okay now, though.” 

“Have you been dating a lot?” Draco asked. 

“Not much. A few guys here and there, a girl or two. They never really understand, though. How about you? Tell me about France?” Harry asked. 

Draco smiled. “It’s magnificent. The school is in the countryside, and the stars are so clear and bright that they haven’t a need for enchanted telescopes in astronomy. They value manners and etiquette much more than we do. Each meal is at  _ least  _ five courses, and one of the courses is just cheese. The language is gorgeous, I adore speaking it. Their potions ingredients are always fresh and organic, and very potent. But as much as I loved it, Paris has a strange odor to it, and cheese gets very boring very quickly. I’m happy to be back. I’ve seen a couple blokes, if that’s what you’re wondering about. Here and there. No one has stuck around, though.” 

“Why’d you come back?” Harry asked. “No offense or anything.” 

Draco chuckled. “It was time,” he said softly. 

They arrived at the corridor where all of the teachers’ rooms were located and came to face two doors. One said POTTER in bold letters, and the other said MALFOY. 

“Here we are,” Harry said. 

“Seems so. Have a good night, Harry. I’ll see you in school.”

“See you around, Draco.” 

The men stood and smiled at each other for a moment before turning and entering their own respective rooms. Here was to new beginnings. 


	2. First Impressions

The next morning when Harry woke up, it was as if everything was the same. For Draco, everything had changed.   
Draco was familiar with the old boarding school musk, but at Beauxbatons, it was fresher and smelled more like wine. Hogwarts smelled a bit like firewood and stone. Draco had missed that smell.  
He took a deep breath and slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. His new quarters were perfect. First off, they didn’t stench of pungent cheese. There was a window beside his bed that allowed him to rise with the sun and listen to the trees and the animals outside. There were three rooms, his bedroom, a sitting room, and his own bathroom with a shower. Minerva had also mentioned an office in the dungeons. He was glad for his room to be so high in the castle if he was going to spend his days in the dungeon. He had gotten a bit used to the fresh air.   
He dress in his layered emerald robes and pulled his hair into a bow at the base of his head. He knew he would be the only one making a first impression this morning, as school had started two weeks ago.   
Finally, he decided it would be time to find his way to the Great Hall.   
“Draco?” Harry asked as Draco was closing his door. “Are you headed to the Great Hall?”   
“Do you know anywhere else a man can get a hot breakfast around here?” Draco asked.   
Harry smiled. “I’ll walk with you,” he said.   
Draco could tell right away that Harry was not like the professors of their day. Harry didn’t wear traditional robes but a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled halfway up her forearms and khakis. His hair had gotten curlier, if possible, and was forced into a bun, which wasn’t new. Seven years had been kind to Harry. While Draco didn’t this his own appearance had changed much, Harry certainly looked more grown up. His large brown hand clasped a very professional looking briefcase. His face was wider, his cheekbones more defined. The circular glasses that balanced on his nose no longer looked too big for his face, and his shoulders were much broader than they had once been. It made Draco happy to notice that he was still a little less than a foot taller than Harry.   
“Minerva isn’t enforcing a faculty dress code?” Draco asked, looking Harry up and down.   
“Nah, she’s been modernizing the school, you know. Younger, better educated professors; electricity, including heating; and a new house system. Each of the houses even have their own wifi network! I’ll give you the password to the one for Professors, but the Ravenclaws somehow managed to get theirs to run faster,” Harry said with a puzzled expression.   
“What’s a ‘wifi’?” Draco asked.   
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Oh, man! I forgot you’re as pureblooded as it gets. The students are going to have a field day with this!” He said with a chuckle.   
“So they like you, then?” Draco asked.   
“Oh, yeah. You’ve got nothing to worry about. They’re great. Filled with passion, and all that,” Harry said. He sighed. “It’s just… it get a bit boring, to be honest. The same thing over and over again. I can see why Minerva wants younger professors, the older ones get so run down. But I’m sure you’ll bring some excitement to the old routine!”   
Draco grimaced. “Yes. Excitement.”   
Harry smiled. “I hear the Slytherin quidditch team is looking for a little help! I’ve been working with them- and the Gryffindors, and the- well, I’ve been working with all of the teams, really. I could use a hand, if you’re up to it.”   
“No offense, Harry, but I’d like to take things a bit slow for my first week or so,” Draco said slowly. He remembered how Harry could be a bit like an excitable puppy at times. “Just so I can settle in, of course.”   
“Right. Of course,” Harry said. “But you’re still up for drinks with Neville and I tonight?” He asked.   
Draco smiled to himself. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”   
“Great! Maybe Ron can come. I’m not sure if you know, because I assume you don’t know what Facebook is if you don’t know what wifi is, but Ron’s opened a branch of his brother’s shop in Hogsmeade. And maybe he can bring Hermione! They’re married now, you know.”   
“That would be lovely,” Draco said. “But nothing too much, Harry. I’d just like to see everybody again.”   
“I know, I know- Good morning, Michael!” Harry said, grinning as another professor walked by. The man was tall, probably around his mid-forties. He was dressed similarly to Harry, only he wore a cloak over his clothes. He smiled politely when Harry called his name and wandered over. “This is Draco Malfoy, the new potions master. We were… er… we went to school together. Draco, this is Michael Collins. He’s the Muggle Culture professor.”   
Draco smiled and shook the man’s hand. “Muggle Culture?” He asked.   
Michael nodded. “They changed the name from Muggle Studies to Muggle Culture a few years back. We don’t want to study other people as if they’re animals, as much as observe their culture and see what aspects we should integrate into our own. I think you’ll find it quite a different class from the one you’re familiar with,” he said with a kind smile.   
“Interesting. Mind if I sit in one day?” Draco asked.   
“Not at all!” Michael said. “You’ve probably got my daughter in one of your classes. Shelly Collins. Potions isn’t her strongest subject, but I’m sure you’ll do great with her!” He said, clapping Draco on the back. “Anyway, I’ve got to go find something in the library. I’ll see you at breakfast!” He said. He gave each of them a smile before proceeding on his week.   
“He seems… cheerful,” Draco said after a moment.   
Harry nodded. “Nice guy. Really nice guy. Just, be careful. You might get caught talking about morals or something with him for hours. His daughter’s the same way, watch your mouth around her class. One moment you’re teaching and next you’re being scolded on the correct use of the term ‘muggle’. Sweet girl, though,” he said.   
Draco took a deep breath. “Noted,” he muttered.  
They continued to walk through the castle that glowed in the early morning sunlight. When they reached the Great Hall, Draco was stuck by a wave of nostalgia. But it was so different. Instead of four long tables, it was a collection of many round tables meant for no specific house. Draco stood in the doorway for a moment, appalled.   
“House unity,” Harry said, smiling. “I think it’s kind of nice.”   
“Hello, Professor Potter!” A young girl at one of the tables shouted.   
Harry smiled and wave. “Good morning, Maria! See you second block! You aren’t going to be late again, correct?”   
“Oh, come on, Professor! I was finishing my assignment!”   
“The assignment you were meant to finish the night before?” Harry asked, still smiling. “Enjoy your breakfast!”   
Harry and Draco made their way to the long table and the front of the room, which had not changed. Harry sat down beside Neville and Draco on Harry’s other side. Draco let out a little smile despite himself, it was so strange to be up here instead of at a table in the center of the room.   
“How are you liking all of the changes so far, Draco?” Neville asked after saying good morning.   
“It’s very… different,” Draco said slowly.   
Neville nodded. “I quite like it. It’s almost as if the war never happened here. It did, of course. But it looks happier. The castle looks happier.”   
That’s why it seemed so strangely familiar! The castle looked the same way it had in Draco’s first year. Happy, warm, and filled to the brim with magic and new experiences. Only this time, Potter was on his side. It was almost as if this was an alternate universe, one where everything had gone right on Draco’s first day, and every day after. That had not been the case. Nothing had gone right for Draco until eight years later, when he would go to Beauxbatons for the first time. But the past was in the past and Draco was ready to make this round count.   
After breakfast, Draco said goodbye to Harry and Neville and made his way down to the dungeons.  
“Ah! Professor Malfoy, just the man I was hoping to meet!” Slughorn said once Draco arrived, but his pale face said otherwise. “I am certainly very glad that you are here! I am about to leave Hogwarts and retire at last, but I thought I should catch you up first.”   
“That would be much appreciated, sir,” Draco said.   
Slughorn nodded and handed Draco a leather journal and a set of keys with shaky hands. “I am certain that you have your own plans, but here is my planbook just in case. The keys are for the office, the classroom, and the closets, I have labeled them for you. The first years are on page 10 of the textbooks, the second years- oh! It is all in there, I do not need to be telling you this! I’ve finished all of the grading thus far, and it is in the gradebook in the back. Your first two classes today are first years, I trust you can figure it out from there?” Slughorn said with pleading, purple eyes.   
“Yes, yes, sir. You may leave,” Draco said.  
Slughorn sighed and threw his arms in the air. “Yes! Thank you, thank you, m’boy. Well… goodbye!” He said, and before Draco could return the pleasantry, Slughorn was gone.   
Drco hardly had time to sigh before students began to file into the classroom. They were so small, had Draco been that small? They each regarded him with a puzzled, yet relieved expression.   
“Hello,” Draco said, once he was certain everyone had entered. “Now, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m not Professor Slughorn,” he said. Several kids chuckled. First years, tough crowd. “Did he mention that you would be receiving a new teacher?”  
“No,” one little girl said. “But we all knew, sir. All of the older kids said he was supposed to retire ages ago.”   
“Right, thank you. And I expect hands to be raised in my class in the future,” Draco said. “Well, my name is Professor Malfoy,” there were several gasps in the crowd, “and I will be your potions teacher from now on.”   
The same little girl from before shot her hand into the hair. She was a hufflepuff, Draco observed, and her friend in the seat beside her looked bored, as if the girl did this regularly.   
“Yes, you there,” Draco said. “What is your name?”   
“Charlie David, sir,” the girl said. “You’re the man who was sitting with Professor Potter at breakfast this morning!”  
“What an excellent observation,” one of the Gryffindor boys on the other side of the room snarled. “I’m so glad you were able to see that far.”  
“Oh, let Charlie be, Mavis!” Charlie’s friend shouted.   
Draco frowned and stomped his foot. “That is quite enough! There will be none of that in my classroom, do we understand? I will not have a classroom in which student feel ashamed to speak, do you understand me, sir?” He asked, turning his attention to the Gryffindor boy. “Name?”   
“Mavis Brown,” The boy said under his breath.   
“Well that will be minus five points for Gryffindor in your regard, Mr. Brown. And plus five for Hufflepuff, for this young lady sticking up for her friend and for Miss David’s keen observation,” Draco said.   
“My name is Carly Brown, sir,” the friend said softly.   
“I see. Do we have twins here?” Draco asked. Carly and Mavis both nodded. “Well, I’ll be sure to keep on my toes around you two then.” He gave Mavis a glare before turning to write his name on the board. “As I said, my name is Professor Malfoy and as Miss Davis so kindly pointed out, I went to school with Professors Potter and Longbottom. I was in their year and we all graduated together. Instead of staying at Hogwarts, however, I opted to go have my training in France at Beauxbatons. Not only did I teach there, but I was an ambassador for Headmistress McGonagall and I did research for her. I will be organizing Hogwarts’ first ever World Language Club and study abroad program. More information on those to come, for whomever might be interested. Does anyone have any questions?” Immediately, three hands shot up. “Please say your name and your question,” he said, pointing to a Ravenclaw in the back.   
She cleared her throat. “My name is Rachel O’Collins. If you were in Professor Potter and Professor Longbottom’s year, does that mean you fought in the war with them?” She asked.   
Draco bit his lip. “Erm, yes, I fought in the war, but not with them. I come from a long line of Purebloods and my family included some top-tier deatheaters. V- Voldemort himself lived in my house for quite some time. I chose my family over what I knew was right, and I chose incorrectly. But if you’d like to know more about that, I’m sure Professor Potter would be quite happy to tell you.” He said. “Any other questions?”   
\--  
Harry smiled, putting his feet up on his desk. He loved his job, and he loved his students. But he didn’t quite love the routine of it all. Get up, eat breakfast, teacher, eat lunch and grade, teach, quidditch, eat, grade, bed. The same thing every day. But, as he always reminded himself, he had the best students who ever existed.   
“Excuse me, Professor?” Someone asked, knocking on the doorframe.   
Harry took his feet off the desk and sat up. “Yes, hello, Miss O’Connor. What can I help you with?” He asked.   
She stepped in, eyes stuck to the floor. “We met Professor Malfoy today,” she said.   
“Yes! I’m awfully excited that he’s come to teacher here. You guys are going to like him a lot, I think, Rachel. He was once a close friend of mine, you know,” Harry said happily.   
“Professor Potter, was he a death eater?” Rachel asked.   
Harry sighed and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, he was. But I’ll tell you what, Rachel, Professor Malfoy and I weren’t friends until after the war. In fact, we were enemies until then. But he showed his true colors. We did a lot to help each other, he and I. And- between you and me,” Harry leaned forward and began to whisper. “Professor Malfoy is the only reason I passed potions and was able to graduate. He was sort of my teacher,” he said.   
Rachel stepped back, eyes wide. “Really?” She asked.   
“Oh, yeah! We had Slughorn, same as you, but I was awful in his class. It was my eighth year, the only time in Hogwarts history that eighth year ever existed, and I had to take potions because I thought I wanted to be an auror. I just couldn’t understand it. But Professor Malfoy helped me, and don’t tell McGonagall, but he was the best teacher I ever had,” Harry said, grinning.   
Rachel giggled. “I won’t tell, sir!” She said.   
Harry laughed and rubbed the top of her head. “You’ve got no need to worry about Professor Malfoy, kiddo. And you can tell your little friends that, too. He’s sort of family, too. My godson is his cousin’s son. Trust me, Rachel, I think of you guys as my children and I’d never let someone I don’t trust near you guys. Do you understand?”   
“Yes, sir. Thank you!” Rachel said, grinning.  
“That said, if you ever misbehave in his class, you’ll be hearing from me, got it? How did it go today?” He asked.   
“He had my class first block, with Carly and Mavis Brown and Charlie David. He handled it quite nicely, sir,” she said.   
Harry leaned back in his chair. “We knew he would! Now, get to dinner, kiddo.”   
She smiled and ran out of the room.   
As she left, Draco wandered in. “Talking about me, were you?” He asked.   
“Rachel wanted to make sure you were trustworthy, is all,” Harry commented. “Is it time for us to leave already?”   
“Neville sent me to find you. You know, he’s quite menacing when he’s going a fire-breathing flytrap in his hands,” Draco said.   
Harry laughed and got to his feet. “Good first day, then?”   
Draco sighed. “You could say that. Those kids…”   
“They’re great, aren’t they?” Harry asked. “You really do learn to love them. I almost feel bad for all of the Professors I got mad at when we were in school. They just wanted us to succeed.”   
“Well, the students really love you, you know? All they wanted to know was if I fought with you in the war. I mentioned I went to school with you and every face in that room lit up. Even my seventh years grinned when I mentioned you,” Draco said.   
“They’ll love you, too,” Harry said happily. “Hell, they probably already do for getting rid of old Slughorn.”   
They walked to the entrance of the school, where they were meeting Neville, and began to wander toward Hogsmeade in the distance. They chatted about students and grading, and Draco tried to figure out what Neville’s deal with plants was.   
When the finally reached Hogsmeade, Draco was hit with that same feeling of edited nostalgia. He remembered the days he spent here with his friends and the days he spent here with Harry, but again, something was different. That joke shop never used to be there, and where will all of the businesses Draco used to know so well? And when had everything gotten too small?   
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a very loud “DRACO!” and was pulled into a hug.   
Draco laughed and hugged her back. “Hello, Hermione!” He said.   
She let go and slapped him. “That’s for never writing enough!” She shouted.  
“Bloody hell, Hermione!” Draco said and grabbed her hand. “Let me see the ring!”   
“S’not much,” Ron muttered, putting his arm around his wife.   
“Oh, shut up! I bought them, Ron was taking too long, so I proposed,” Hermione said. “We were so sad you couldn’t come to the wedding! We missed you!”   
Draco laughed. “I might as well have been there, from the amount of pictures you sent! I was caught up with, work.”   
“Excuses, excuses,” Hermione said. “Hello, Harry! Neville! Sorry for the rude introduction, but I haven’t seen you two in a week. I haven’t seen Draco in years!”   
Harry laughed. “Alright, alright. Let’s go get a table somewhere before we have to resort to eating Ron’s reject candies.”   
“They aren’t half bad, the coloring’s a little off is all,” Ron muttered to Draco.   
Draco laughed. He was sure he’d fit in quite well here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH sorry it took me so long to night!  
> You have no idea how busy I am right now! This week should be a little bit more calm, though.   
> It almost as if my social life, academic life, extra-curricular life, musical life, and sleep schedule don't want to exist all at the same time or something! I had PSATs yesterday, which sucked away several potential writing hours. And I preformed at a coffee house on Friday so I spent ages practicing and everything. This week should be relatively mellow.   
>  But I know, excuses, excuses.   
> I'm going to try to stay a chapter ahead. I'm not right now, but I'm going to try and write chapter three really quick and not post it until I write chapter four. That way if I have another busy week, you guys don't have to go forever without an update.   
> ALSO- I've been drawing some of Neville's plants because I love them. Would you like me to try and post them here? (Follow my finsta an_actual_flower if you want to see my daily drawings that are currently part of the reason I haven't been writing as much).  
> As always, thank you for reading and THANK YOU SO MUCH for being patient!   
> -Lily


	3. Making Plans

That night after going out with Harry, Neville, Ron, and Hermione, Draco decided to sit in the teacher’s lounge for a bit to go over Slughorn’s lesson plans and to create his own. He quite liked the teacher’s lounge. It smelled of tea, oak, and stone. He sat a a table next to a window where he could gaze at the stars if he got bored. 

Harry had already gone to bed, but Neville had decided to join Draco to go over his lesson plans as well. Draco quite liked Neville. He wasn’t as excitable as other unnamed Gryffindors, but he still had that vibrant energy to him. Neville was the closest thing to the fresh potions ingredients Draco had access to in France, and Draco had already asked him to grow several new species for him. Neville, of course, obliged. 

There was something strange about how Hogwarts had changed since Draco had been there. All of the professors were happy. Draco was so used to gloomy Snape and Slughorn, that he was surprised by all of the professors that seemed to love their jobs. Harry talked about his students as if they were his children, and every professor Draco had met was so inspired. They genuinely wanted to educate these children, not for test grades or for money, but for the good of the children. 

Draco didn’t start to feel the same until about two weeks into teaching. 

“Miss Berkley, might I help you?” Draco asked a student one day when he realized she hadn’t left the classroom yet. Sara Berkley was one of Draco’s brightest students. She was a seventh year, Slytherin, and she was very gifted in potions, arithmancy, and herbology. She was one of Draco’s most promising students.

“Oh, no, sir. Is it alright if I do my assignment in here so I could ask you some questions?” She asked. 

“Er, I suppose that’s alright,” Draco said and began to set up for his first class the next day.

It wasn’t long before another student wandered in. “Excuse me, professor?” Charlie David asked, with Carly Brown and several more first years behind her. “Could we do some of our work in here with you?”

“Yes, just find a seat anywhere,” Draco said anxiously. This was strange. No one had ever asked to do work in his classroom before. 

“Could you help me with this, Professor?” Sara Berkley asked. 

Draco wandered over to her shoulder and looked at her work. “We’re diluting frog’s mucus, correct? Do you remember the potion we made on Thursday?” 

“Yes, the hair growth potion,” Sara said. 

“After we put in the frog’s mucus, we put something else in so that it wouldn’t overpower the phoenix feather. Do you remember what that was?” He asked. Sara began to flip through the pages in her textbook. “It’s on page 135,” Draco added. 

Sara grinned. “That plant Professor Longbottom brought us… erm…. _fiscina frondis_?” She asked. 

“Correct! Can you remember why?” Draco asked. 

“The sandpaper-like texture cuts into the mucus and counters it, so it’s not quite as strong,” she answered. 

Draco smiled. “Excellent, Miss Berkley.” 

“You know, I never used to be good at potions while we had Professor Slughorn, Professor,” Sara said. 

“I find that highly unlikely, Sara! It’s only been two weeks, but you’re already one of  my best students!” Draco said. 

“It’s because of you, sir! The other seventh years agree, too. I only took potions so I can be a detective for the ministry, but now I’m wondering if I should go into brewing medicine. Because of you. Potions has never clicked like this for me before, sir,” she said. 

Draco smiled softly. “You had it in you the whole time, Sara. You just needed someone to bring it out.” 

“Woah, you want to work for the ministry?” Charlie David asked. “I can’t wait until I’m a seventh year!” 

Sara laughed. “Be glad you’ve got time! You’ve got a lot more work ahead of you, Charlie.” 

“Oh, Professor?” One of the first years asked. It was a small Hufflepuff named Daisy. “You mention starting a World Languages club. When are you going to start that? Me and a few others would like to join.” 

Before Draco could answer, there was a knock at the doorway. Harry stuck his head in smiling and waving at the students who recognized him. “Hello! Excuse me or interrupting. Do you guys mind if I steal Professor Malfoy for a moment?” He asked. 

Draco rolled his eyes. “I’ll be right back to answer your question, Daisy,” he said, following Harry into the hallway. 

“So,” Harry said, grinning. 

“What’s this about?” Draco asked. 

“The students like you!” Harry sang. “I told you they would! And let me tell you, that Sara Berkley is hard to please.” 

“Oh, shut up. What do you want?” Draco asked. 

“Want to visit Teddy with me on Saturday? The Slytherin quidditch team told me I had to stop helping them, and I haven’t seen the kid since the summer. So what do you say?” Harry asked. “We could take him into London or something? Unless… you don’t own any muggle clothes.” 

“I own muggle clothes!” Draco hissed. 

Harry grinned. “I know. We were roommates, remember?” 

“How could I forget?” Draco groaned. “But, yes, I’ll see Teddy with you. I haven’t seen him in ages! I visit him every summer of course, but not as much as I would like.” 

“Excellent! I’ll write to Mrs. Tonks straight away. You can get back to your students now, I suppose,” Harry said. 

Draco nodded and walked back into his classroom, where the students were quietly doing their work while Sara told Charlie stories of her life throughout hogwarts. 

\--

Harry wiped his dirty hands off on his pants and collapsed into the chair. Quidditch practice with the Hufflepuffs had been exceptionally difficult today. Harry was sore in almost every muscle. He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to keep up the coaching without anyone else’s help. He summoned some ice for his neck and wished the pain would go away.

“So?” Neville asked, grinning at Harry from across the room. 

“So what?” Harry asked, though he knew exactly what Neville was talking about. 

“Are you taking Teddy to London with Draco this weekend?” Neville asked. 

“Yes, I am,” Harry said, pretending to sound bored. Lately, this old feeling had been coming back whenever he was around Draco, and it was getting hard to ignore. He couldn’t date Draco again. They’d been there, done that, and it hadn’t worked. Sure, they weren’t teenagers anymore, but Harry didn’t feel any…  _ wiser  _ or anything. He and Draco just weren’t meant to be. Although, the several blonde blokes and one blonde lesbian who Harry had  _ thought  _ was a bloke (that was another story for another day) begged to differ. Harry  _ had  _ to be over Draco, it had been seven whole years! And yet, it was as if the second Draco had walked through the door, Harry turned seventeen again. 

Neville sighed. “You still have feelings for him.” 

“I’ll get over it,” Harry insisted. “Besides, I don’t have time for a relationship. My students are my priority right now.” 

“Where they your priority when you went on all those dates a few years ago?” Neville asked.

“They’re always my priority! Even more so now than before. This is the first bunch of seventh years that we’ve been teaching since they were first years. It’s crazy! They’re the ones I have to worry about now. It’s my job to make sure Collin Taper graduates, alright?”

“Oi. That one’s on all of us, mate,” Neville sighed, shaking his head. “Did you miss him? While he was in France.” 

Harry stretched his arms over his head and cracked his back. “Yeah. I missed being with him, I think. It was years ago. I stopped pretty much as soon as I immersed myself into teaching. It hurt, you know? We left on a bad note and he never sent so much as a postcard. But it’s okay now,” he said. 

Neville said nothing and poured a small cup of water into the flowerpot of his plant.

\--

“How many students are we discussing here, Mr. Malfoy?” Minerva asked, rubbing her head anxiously. 

“Not more than 30. It will be a hard decision process. I can take as many professors with me as you feel comfortable. And it will be over Easter holiday, so no one will be missing classes,” Draco said. “I really feel that it will be an excellent experience for our students. I’ll have until then to teach them French in my world language club.” 

Minerva sighed. “There are a lot of missing pieces to this plan, Mr. Malfoy,” she muttered. 

“I am quite aware, Minerva, but I am confident that I will be able to figure it out. You wanted to modernize the school, and part of that is making sure our students are cognizant of different cultures and of the world around them. They’re not going to grasp that sitting in a classroom, Minerva. What better to show them then to _ take them there _ ? One day, we’ll do Beauxbatons, so they see other magic schools. We can do French magic villages one day, and muggle destinations for several more,” Draco said. “They’ve got to have the chance to see the world, Minerva. Because one day, they’ll be unleashed out there and they’ll have no idea what it’s like. We have to help them.” 

There was a long silence. Minerva took a sip of her tea and drew in a deep breath. “Alright. But I need a completed list of students and teachers attending by next month. Students will need permission slips from their parents, of course. And I need a rough itinerary by November, as well as a letter sent out to all of the parents involved.” 

“Of course, Minerva.” 

She caught his eyes. “I trust you, Draco,” she said softly. 

“I won’t let you down, Minerva. That’s a promise,” Draco said, holding her wrinkled hand. “Thank you. Goodnight,” he said. 

“Goodnight, Draco.” 

Draco smiled and left the office, wandering down the hallways with a sense of importance. He would be leading the first ever Hogwarts trip to France, and he was going to do everything right. He was sure of it. 

“Oh, Draco!” Harry said, nearly running up to him from the other end of the corridor. He had a vague limp, as if he was favoring his left leg, and when he approached Draco, he smelled strongly of locker room. 

“You smell like a 14-year-old boy, Harry,” Draco said, stepping back. 

Harry laughed. “Quidditch practice with the Hufflepuffs. You know, I really could use your help,” he said. 

Draco sighed. “When’s the next practice?” He asked. 

Harry’s smile shined like a thousand suns. “Tomorrow. I’ll still be sore, I’m  going to need someone to do all of the running around for me. I can manage the shouting quite well, I think,” he said. 

“I’ll do it,” Draco said. “But only if you help me with something.” 

“Name your price.” 

“Come to my world languages club on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Draco said. 

Harry’s face turned red. “Draco, I can’t even speak proper English.” 

“That’s why I need you to come. So I can teach you French. Because I also need you to come to France with me and 30 students and perhaps several more professors over the Easter holiday,” Draco said. Harry looked at him as if he had suddenly transformed into a ferret. Again. “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me the great Harry Potter is afraid of a little French!” Draco said. 

Harry sighed and ran his hand through his thick black curls of hair. “How do you say ‘I’ll do it’?” He asked. 

“ _ Je le ferai _ ,” Draco said. 

“Jelly furry,” Harry said, grinning. 

Draco winced. “We’ll work on it.” 

They began to walk toward the teacher dormitories together. “So, you’re taking the kids to France, huh? That’s kind of a big deal,” Harry said. 

“Yes, well, I won’t be alone,” Draco said. 

“Teach me something now, so I won’t look like a fool the first day of language club,” Harry said. 

Draco thought for a moment. “Well, for starters, there’s hello.  _ Bonjour.  _ And good evening,  _ bonsoir.  _ And good night,  _ bonne nuit. _ ” 

“ _ Bonne nuit _ ,” Harry said, testing the words in his mouth. 

Draco smiled softly. “Yes, that’s it. Let the words roll off your tongue,” he said. They soon arrived at their adjacent rooms. “ _ Bonne nuit, Harry. A demain. _ ” 

“ _ Bonne nuit, _ ” Harry said, though it sounded a bit more like ‘bunny’. 

Draco shook his head and opened his door. There would be plenty of time for another lesson tomorrow.    


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guuuuuyyyyyysssss I don't know what to say!   
> I feel so bad I'm not writing anywhere near as fast as I want to be. I get really sad when it starts to get cold like this and that's what's been happening. I'm trying to be productive but I'm just sad.   
> I've got a half day on Wednesday so I'm going to try and get as much homework done as possible so I can write.   
> I don't know guys.   
> I'm just so drained. I've got plenty of plans and ideas for this I just don't have the time or creative juices to write them!  
> Don't worry, I PROMISE I'm not giving up.   
> Thanks for reading!  
> LIly


	4. A World Language

Draco clapped his hands together and gazed over the rows of students that had come to his club. They were meeting in the potions classroom, but Harry had helped Draco move all of the desks to the sides of the room, so the students could sit on chairs in the center. There were 24 exactly, which meant there was room for more. It was seven hufflepuffs, seven gryffindors, five slytherins, and five ravenclaws. He had to admit, he was rather surprised but the turnout. 

“Hello, everyone,” he said. “As I’m sure you are aware, my name is Professor Malfoy, and Professor Potter will be assisting me today for the rest of our meetings. Now, I’d like to provide a quick summary of this club.” He turned to the board. “We will be learning a small bit of French language and culture every meeting, which will be on Fridays  _ before _ Hufflepuff quidditch practice, and Tuesdays directly after last block. We are working toward a rather ambitious goal, which is knowing enough French to survive a trip to France during Easter break,” he said, writing on the board as he spoke. 

“We’re going to France?” June Zang asked, nearly squealing. 

“That’s the plan, yes,” Draco said. 

“Why are we learning french?” Mavis Brown snarled. “I thought we were gunna learn something cool- like Spanish or alien language or something. I thought this was  _ world  _ languages club.”

Harry laughed. “If you want to learn alien language, I think  _ world  _ languages might not be the best option for you, Mavis. We have yet to have an interstellar languages club, though. It might be a nice contribution.” 

Draco smiled softly. “Yes, could anyone tell me why we’re learning French in a world languages club? Where do people speak French?” He asked. 

“France, for starters, sir,” Neha answered politely. 

“Correct, Miss. Sidana, but where else?” 

The room was silent. Slowly, a girl in Hufflepuff rose her hand. “Well, my grandmother once went to Luxembourg and she said they speak French there.” 

“Yes, excellent, Miss Kemp. But where do they speak French other than European countries?” Draco asked. 

“Well, France conquered some parts of Africa, right? So I suppose they speak French there,” Sarah said. 

“Correct. Congo, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, Rwanda, Chad, many of the western African countries speak French or French dialects,” Draco said, writing several on the board. “Think beyond Africa. Canada, they were owned, so to speak, by France, too. Cambodia, Laos, even Vietnam. So there we’ve covered four continents; Europe, Africa, North America, and Asia. Let’s add South America in there, with French Guiana. Several in the Caribbean, a couple bits of it floating around Australia. All of these places are called _ Francophones _ , places that speak French, and France is one of them. So I daresay that French is a pretty worldly inclusive language, is it not?” Draco asked. 

Mavis huffed and folded his arms. “I still think we should learn an alien language,” he huffed. 

\--

Draco and Harry hurried from World Language club to Quidditch, and from Quidditch, to bed. 

The Hufflepuffs had always been a good bunch, and flying came to Draco like riding a unicycle- or whatever that muggle figure of speech was. It was easy, and Draco wondered why he had ever been hesitant in the first place. He had missed the feeling of the air running through his clothes and his hair. There was something about riding a broomstick that he adored. Sometimes, it felt like flying was the one thing in life that he could control. Plus, it made him feel younger, which was always a good thing. 

The students  _ did  _ seem to enjoy his company. They grinned when he passed them one of the balls or corrected something they had done. They gave him high-fives when they scored and they cheered when Draco demonstrated something. 

And working with Harry, well, that was always interesting. Never a dull moment with that man. He had a sense of arrogance to him when he was flying, he always had, but it wasn’t purposeful. It just was. Playing on the same team as his arrogance was a new experience, and Draco loved every second of it. 

That said, he was very grateful when practice was over. 

“How was it?” Harry asked, elbowing Draco in the side as they walked back to the teacher’s corridors. 

Draco couldn’t muster an answer other than a smile. “I haven’t been this muddy or this sore in ages. I have to say, I didn’t think these old bones would hold up that well out there!” He chuckled. 

Harry rolled his eyes. “You’re twenty five. Not fifty five,” he said. He stopped and leaned up against the door to his room. “Well, I hope you’re not too sore, because we’ve got a long day tomorrow.” Draco raised an eyebrow. “Walking around with Teddy!” Harry said. “You know how hard it is keeping up with little kids.” 

“Right,” Draco said, grinning. 

“That is- if you’re not tired of me yet,” Harry said. 

Draco scoffed teasingly. “Tired of the Great Harry Potter? Please! Don’t humor me,” he said. Harry shoved his shoulder. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Professor,” Draco said. 

Harry nodded. “Goodnight,  _ Professor _ .” He grinned for a moment and went into his room. Draco stood there and smile to himself before returning to his own. 

\--

The next morning was rather perfect. A bit of sun peaked out from behind the white,  puffy clouds. The breeze was cool and light. It was as if autumn had set aside it’s rain and storminess for the day and allowed everything to become nearly spring for a moment. Nearly, because it was still too cold and Harry couldn’t find that one sweater he liked. 

As the two departed from the property, they were called to by students on the grass studying and running about. 

“I’m glad they get to get outside every now and again,” Draco commented. “You know, in Beauxbatons, they had multiple buildings. The students were forced to have fresh air, even if it meant sprinting through the rain. It always makes me a bit sad to see that some days, our students don’t get any fresh air.” 

“Well, they’ve got herbology in the greenhouse to get them out and about,” Harry said, tucking his hands into his pockets. “I certainly never felt cooped up while I was at Hogwarts.”

“Yes, but when you’re a child at Hogwarts, Hogwarts is your world. You don’t want any freedom because you’ve never experienced any! All you know is what’s on the school grounds. Everything you ever want or need is within arms reach,” Draco said. “And once you leave, well, then it’s difficult. All of the sudden you’re expected to walk to the store for milk, or figure out your own problems instead of asking the nearest professor. I suppose that’s why my France trip will be so important. We’ll let the kids be free. Let them explore the world.” 

“Don’t you think that’s a bit dangerous?” Harry said. 

Draco shrugged. “We’ll have boundaries of course. And the first and second years are  _ not  _ leaving my side. But the sixth and seventh years, they need to know. They need to learn what to do when they’re free for a whole day. Also, why is all of this ‘danger’ business coming from the boy who went to the forbidden forest for fun?” He asked. 

Harry chuckled and shook the black curls out of his face. “Things have changed. It’s like you said, when you’re a student, Hogwarts is your world. Nothing bad can happen to you there. Things always did, but you know what I mean. I’m older now. I’ve known the world, though I’ve never really left Hogwarts.”

“It’s funny that you say things have changed, when here we are, seven years later, walking the same dirt path that we used to walk together twice a week,” Draco said. 

“If you try to teach me anything to do with potions, I’ll hex you into next week,” Harry laughed. 

They wandered out of Hogwarts boundaries and into Hogsmeade, where they could safely apparate to Andromeda’s cozy abode. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH HIIII! I missed you!   
> Okay I'm SOOOO sorry for not posting for like a month but here are my excuses, ready?   
> So my first mistake was deciding I was gunna to NaNoWriMo (you have the month of November to write a 50,000 word novel). I did it and finished it last year so I thought I could do it again this year but then all of this stuff happened and I've been a hormonal mess so that's fun. And then I started watching Orange Is the New Black so that ate up all of my time because I watched all like 5 season in three weeks. And then I finished it (OH MY GOD I CRIED SO MUCH ((see I told you hormones))) and I kinda forgot about this. And THEN I was watching a BuzzFeed video where they read Harry Potter fanfics (because I was trying to recover from Orange is the New Black) and I was like "oh shit I have one of those" and here I am!  
> Long story short: I forgot about this and also I CAN DRIVE NOW! Like I have a licence and (an old and smelly) car and everything! So that's exciting!  
> Anyway, enough about me.   
> THANKS FOR READING!! I'M SOOOOO SORRY I FORGOT ABOUT THIS!   
> LOVE YOU!   
> Lily

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!   
> Did ya miss me??   
> Hahahaha, everyone reaaallllyyy wanted this after the last book and I'm more than happy to oblige.   
> Updates will probably be slow because I've been very busy lately and I'm not yet great at managing my time, but I ALWAYS answer comments.  
> Another warning: I won't have time to edit these chapters either, so get ready for some fishy business...  
> Thanks for reading! Hope you're excited for chapter 2!   
> -Lily


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